Chocolate Candy breezes for Belmont

ELMONT, N.Y. - Chocolate Candy completed preparations for Saturday's $1 million Belmont Stakes with an easy half-mile breeze in 50.25 seconds Monday morning over Belmont Park's main track.

It was his fourth and final breeze since arriving here on May 6, four days after he finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby.

Exercise rider Lindsey Molina didn't ask much of Chocolate Candy in the breeze, which was conducted shortly after 7 a.m., after the track had been open for 90 minutes.

Chocolate Candy galloped alongside a pony from the wire to the 4 1/2-furlong pole. Chocolate Candy eased away from the pony and went to the half-mile rather slowly, and got an opening eighth in 13.19 seconds. Molina had a firm hold of the reins while Chocolate Candy got the quarter in 25.84. In the stretch, Molina had to reach up and take another hold so as not to let Chocolate Candy do too much and yet he still came home in a solid 24.41. He galloped out five furlongs in 1:03.59.

"He definitely wanted to do a lot more, I'll tell you that much," Molina said.

Molina, who has been with Chocolate Candy since left California for Kentucky in mid-April, has been extremely pleased with how Chocolate Candy has adjusted to the Belmont surface.

"All I can say is he just skips over this track," Molina said. "I love him. There's nothing underneath you when you breeze. Today, that was nothing; that was galloping for him and then he galloped out real strong. I had to come up and take another hold and say, 'Whoa, back.' I'm very interested to see how this horse runs. If he runs the way he trains . . . he's going to be tough."

Trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who has flown in from California for the three previous breezes, was not in town for this one. He is due here on Wednesday.